Students bid fond farwell to Jungle

AJ Thurman | Collegio Reporter

After three and a-half years at Pittsburg State University, Cassy Temaat says she is ready to walk across the stage and start her new life.
“I have a teaching job already,” said Temaat, senior in family an

d consumer sciences education. “It’s a high school FACS position, and I’m very excited to start.”
Temaat says she expected to be waiting until August to find a teaching job.

Before the prizes are given away to celebrate how far our soon-to-be alumni have come a few speeches are given in their honor.

“I start in January,” she said. “The FACS department is good at placing people after they’ve graduated.”
Temaat is one of many soon-to-graduate students who attended the Out of the Jungle celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 27, in the basement of the Wilkinson Alumni Center. The event takes place every semester and is a way to congratulate the students who are graduating.
Several students came out to enjoy dinner with their fellow graduates, and they also had a chance to nab some door prizes.
Lynette Olson, provost and vice president of academic affairs, gave the attendees a speech emphasizing how proud the entire PSU faculty and staff is of the graduates.
“It’s part of our goal to have you achieve what you have achieved at this point,” Olson said.
In addition, Olson says she would love to see them again.
“As you go off into the sunset and face that new job,” she said. “We hope that at some point you will want to return to Pitt State.”
Temaat says she’s leaving more than her friends behind at PSU. She says she belonged to six clubs and organizations, too.
“I have mixed feelings about leaving,” Temaat said. “I’m excited to start my life right now, but ask me in a few months and I’ll probably say I want to come back.”
Unlike Temaat, Mike Zuniga says his schedule was packed until his last semester at Pitt State.
“I didn’t have time for clubs and sports,” said Zuniga, senior in graphic design. “I worked 40 hours a week and had 18 credit hours every semester. I just recently started having time to make friends. It’s weird, I guess.”
Blake Davis says Gorilla football was his favorite part of college.
“Tailgating was tons of fun,” said Davis, senior in plastic engineering.
Like Temaat, Davis already has a job lined up. He says he will be moving to Topeka to work for Goodyear.
Davis says he isn’t sad about leaving.
“I’m ready to graduate and start my job,” he said. “I have mixed feelings of nervousness and excitement.”